Om Havbundens Afleirinavr. 



On Oceanic Deposits. 



Blandt de mange videnskabelige Undersøgelser, der be- 

 handler Havets forskjellige Naturforhold, Endes der kun 



faa, som har skaftet os ndgen Kund-kah om den kemisk- 

 geologiske Beskaffenhed af de Arleiriuger. der bedækker 

 Bunden i de store Havbasiner. 



Det kan neppe vække nogen Forundring, at vore Er- 

 faringer i denne Retning endnu er meget begrændsede, 

 naar vi erindrer, hvilke betydelige Hjælpemidler. der er 

 nødvendige for at gjore Havbunden paa de dybere Steder 

 tilgjængelig for den videnskabelige Forskning. 



Der er vistnok i Tidemes Løb samlet mange Bidrag 

 til Læren om de Sedimenter, der har afleiret sig langs 

 Kysterne i de grundere Dele af Havet. 1 men ved Mangel 

 paa Materiale har vi været forhindrede fra at gjore os 

 noget klart Begreb om de lignende Dannelser i < leeanets 

 store 1 )vb. 



De mange videnskabelige Expeditioner, der bar under- 

 søgt Havet i forskjellige Retninger, har tildels ogsaa hentet 

 Prover op af Havbunden. men Obsefvationerne dreier sig 

 væsentlig om deres zoologiske Forhold. 2 



En planmæssig og alsidig Undersøgelse af Havbunden 

 er forst blevet iværksat ai den britiske "Challenger"-Expe- 

 dition (1872 —1876). Det rige Materiale af Bundprøver, der 

 ved denne Anledning er indsamlet, er endnu ikke paa langt 

 nær bearbeidet, men Expeditionehs foreløbige Meddelelser 

 — ved Sir Wyville Thomson og Mr. John Murray 3 — 

 har allerede vist os store oa overraskende Resultater. 



Of the numerous scientific investigations undertaken to 

 determine the physical couditions of the sea. very few 

 have fumished us with trustworthy data concerning the 

 cbemico-geological nature of the deposits in the great ocean 

 basins. 



Nor is it surprising that our experience in that direc- 

 tion should as yet be very limited, if ve call to mind by 

 what elaborate and costly means the bed of the ocean 

 can alone be rendered accessible to scientific research. 



True. many valnable additious have from time to time 

 been made to our knowledge of the sea-bottom and its sur- 

 face-stratum of sedimentary matter in coastal localities 

 whefe the water is comparatively sballow: 1 hut no clear 

 idea could. for want of samples, be formed of the deposits 

 in the great depths of the ocean. 



( hi one or tvo of the many scientific Expeditions 

 despatched to investigate the sea in different parts of the 

 world, samples of the bottom were indeed collected. though 

 chierly as a help towards determining, from the character 

 of auy organisms they might contain. the general biological 

 features of the region explored. 2 



A systematic and comprehensive investigation of the 

 ocean-bed was first attempted on the ••('ballenger" Expedi- 

 tion(1872 — 76). Mucb still remairis to be done in working 

 out its rich collection of samples: hut the Preliminary Re- 

 ports of Sir Wy ville Thomson and Mr. John Murray 3 sufti- 

 ciently attest that great and surprising results have been 

 attained. 



1 Det mest omfattende Værls i denne Retning er: „Lithol 

 du fund des mei*' par M. Delesse 



'-' Dr. Wallich: The North-Atlantic Sea-Bed. Preliminary Re- 

 porl of the Scientific Exploration of the Deep Sea in H. M. Surveying 

 Vesse) "Porcupine". 1869. (Being No. 121 of the Proceedings of the 

 Royal Society . The "Valoroas" Expedition. Reports by Dr. Gwyn 

 Jeftéys and Dr. Carpenter. (From ti»- Pi of the Royal 



ty, Vol. XXV. Nb. 173 . 



3 Reports from the "Challenger". (From the Proceedings of the 

 Royal Society. No. 107, 1868). "The Atlantic" by Sir Wyville 

 Thomson. 



Den norske Nordliavsexpedition Sclimelck : Chemi. 



1 Tin- most comprehensive work on this suhjei t i- "Lithologie 

 du fond des mers." by M. Delesse. 



- Dr. Wallich: The North-Atlantic Sea-Bed. Preliminary Re- 

 port of the Scientific Exploration of the Deep Sea in H. M. Surveying 

 \ sel "Porcupine," 1869. Being No. 121 of the Proceedings. of the 

 Royal Society). The "Valorous" Expedition. Reports by Dr. Gwyn- 

 and Dr. Carpenter. (From the Proceedings of the Royal 

 Society, Vol. XXV. No. 17::.. 



3 Reports from the "Challenger." f From the Proci t the 



Royal Society. No. 107, l~"-i "The Atlantic." by. Sir Wyville 

 Thomsoi 



1 



